Are your feature requests and customer feedback piling up in the backlog, with no movement, no ETA, and frustrated customers asking you for answers you don't have?

You're not alone. One of the most common pain points for Customer Success Managers is the disconnect between CS and the product team. But the good news? It's fixable, and it starts with how you communicate, not just what you communicate.

In this episode, Margo Barysheva, the first CS hire at a cybersecurity startup in Israel, discusses how she has been building the customer success function from the ground up. Margo brings hard-earned, practical experience from working across multiple high-growth startups, and she's developed a real system for turning messy customer feedback into product action.

Here's what you'll learn in this episode:

✅ Why most CSMs submit feedback the wrong way, and what to do instead (hint: it's not "the button should be black")✅ How to translate customer requests into business value so product teams actually listen✅ How to set backlog timeframes in Jira so tickets don't disappear forever — and you can finally close the loop with customers✅ The beta/preview program strategy that turns customers into product advocates✅ The squad model for larger CS teams to stay aligned with product without losing context✅ The #1 mindset shift: stop acting as a customer advocate only learn to be a true peer to your product team

Connect with Margo on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/margobarysheva/

Margo's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/magbelyaeva/

Follow Bayron Toruno on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/bayron-toru%C3%B1o-solano-3a9408113/

Follow us on:Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/Tik-Tok @customer.success6Explore Our PodcastWebsite - https://cstalkspodcast.com/

How should Customer Success Managers actually use data?

In this episode, Denny Burda, Chief Customer Officer at River Consultancy Group, to break down a simple framework for turning customer data into insights, conversations, and actions that drive retention and expansion.

Many Customer Success Managers have access to dashboards, metrics, and usage reports but struggle with what to do with the data. Instead of getting lost in spreadsheets or overwhelming QBR slides, Denny explains how CSMs can move from raw data to meaningful customer conversations using a practical appoach:Signals → Insights → Conversation → ActionTogether, we explore the three key phases of working with data in Customer Success:

1. Data AnalysisLearn how to identify meaningful signals in customer data and avoid the classic “garbage in, garbage out” problem.

2. Turning Data Into InsightsData alone doesn’t create impact. Denny explains how to interpret signals to uncover early warnings for churn, identify expansion opportunities, and prioritize the right customers.

3. Data Presentation & StorytellingMany CSMs rely too heavily on dashboards or QBR slides.This framework helps Customer Success Managers turn numbers into strategic conversations that build trust with customers and executives. Listen now to learn how to transform customer data into clear insights, stronger conversations, and better outcomes.

In this episode we have the honor of having two of the most respected leaders in CS, Jan Young and Ralphie White, to unpack how the shifting global market, AI, and new pricing models are changing Customer Success, and what you can actually do about it.

They get into why the market shift isn't temporary, how consumption and outcome-based pricing are changing the CSM role, why AI is pushing CS away from "gap-filling" toward specialized, technical, revenue-owning work and honest, practical advice for breaking into CS and protecting your career in 2026.

Referenced in this episode:– ChurnZero 2026 CSM Confidential Report - https://churnzero.com/csm-confidential-2026-thank-you/?submissionGuid=f2ce52ae-f4d7-493d-8368-a00a764168e5 – Zylo 2026 SaaS Management Index - https://go.zylo.com/l/504631/2026-01-27/7ptsnt/504631/1769532725LybGFvUo/2026_saas_management_index_zylo.pdf?_gl=1*1e5otfv*_gcl_au*MTA2NzE2MDIyMy4xNzczNzY3ODk4 – S&P Global AI & Labor Landscape 2026 - https://www.spglobal.com/en/research-insights/special-reports/ai-impact-on-employment-2026– Book: The Strategic Customer Success Manager by Chad Horenfeldt - https://www.strategiccustomersuccess.com/– Podcast: AI Daily BriefConnect with our guests:Jan YoungLinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-young-cx/CxXchange SuccessHour - https://www.janyoungcx.com/#newsletterJan's community sessions: https://go.stepupxchange.com/nexgen-cs-leadershipRalphie WhiteLinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralphiewhite/Website — https://www.radicalcs.com/

Follow us on:

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/cstalkspodcast/

TikTok — @customer.success6

Explore our Website:

Website — https://cstalkspodcast.com/